Controlling means for variablespeed gears



July 27, 1948. H. F..HOBBS 2,446,037

CONTROLLING MEANS FOR VAIEUABLE SPEED GEARS Filed A ril 6, 1943 J72 z enlor: h. F. H0886.

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Patented July 27, 1948 UNITED eries 1 g CGN'EROLILING MEANS FOR-VAREABLE- SPEED GEARS Howard Frederick Hobbs, Leamington Spa, England, assignor, by direct and missile assignments, to Hobbs Transmission Limited, Learn ington Spa, England, a British company Application April e, 1943, SerialNo. 482m? In Great Britain Aprilll, 1942 This invention relates to controlling means for variable speed gears coupled to anengine, for

,examplethat of a'motor vehicle, and its main ob- ,ject istoyenable variationiin the position of a control pedal or member (which may also control the'engine throttle) to produce allengine speedsbetween a low speed. near stalling speed and a predetermined maximum speed, for example, maximum horsepower speed, at will, while remaining in orabout anyand all of the ratios provided by the variable speed gear. This. is desirable so that the following results may be obtained:

(a) High engine speed and maximum horse- ,power and consequently, high acceleration can be obtained rapidlyon opening the throttle. w

(b) Ability to start and run at lowiengine speed for economy and comfort and at low output speeds without changing transmission ratios when not required, for example, whilst driving around, corners at low speeds whenchange to higher ratio is onlyirequired on moving the control member to accelerate, and not before the throttleis fully or nearly fully opened thereby providing all the power available withthepar tioular transmission ratiothatisalready in operation.

(0) .Automatic changing of transmission ratiositomaintain engine speeds below arequired maximum.

speeds of the enginewithinpredetermined limits or in other words, to select any required ratio or engine speed (or range ofratios or speeds) within predetermined limitswhilst at or about full throttle. This is desirable because any required horse power, can be developed more emciently 0 full throttle than at any less throttle.

( Automatic changing of transmission ratios to high ratio gearrwhen output speeds fall below a predetermined minimum, :for example, ,below stalling speed, so that the gear is ready for restarting.

- According to the invention, the controlling means comprises adevice actuated according to gear input shaft speed and adapted toucontrol vary thi range, means which move accordingtto:

,5 Claims. (01. ii-472) throttle openingand operate to render thesaid device capable of causing transmission ratio change to high ratios onlyJwhen operating above a predetermined-throttleyopening (preferably at or near full throttle) and means actuated by output speeds and serving. to effect change tohigh ratios when the output 'speedfalls below ia predetermined minimum., 1A ;separatelynoperable control means maybe provided for renderingisaid device capable of causing changeto higher ratiosbelow said predetermined throttle opening when required for unusual conditions, for exampie, for using enginezbraking onahill.

A constructional a'formbf theinvention 'embodying a number opimportantfeatures-will,now be desoribedubywaywof example with reference to the,accompanyingdrawing otwhich Fighli is a diagrammatic view .andsFig. 2 is a sectionalview of a switch taken on line2:2\ of Fla. ,1 with a part thereof. in a slightly, different-V positionn ln theidrawinglthe members I, 2, are ,the rotary valves of thegear desoribed l'innthe specification of my patent applicationNo. 417,739,11ow

Patent No. 2,381,593, datedAug. 7, i945, andalso in myBritish PatentNos549,988. Valve. l serves to control and distribute the flow of actuating fluid to the distributor clutches described in :the

above-mentioned British patent and -valve 2 servesto control'therfiow of fluid from the pump 8 to the control. gearsdescribed: in said British patent. The valves carry pinions 3A, with which a rack 51s in gear. The, rack 5 is connected to a piston l6 which workslin a cylinder fl supplied on one side of the piston with oil xthrouglra hole a normallyclosedby a valve or closuremember ill heldby a, spring it and adapted to be opened by actuation ofthe valve stemin the "axialdirection. The-oil :is supplied undertpressurebya pump 8 having an intake pipe-til and, delivering said oil to thevalve ithroughsa pipe-Wand to the valve? through a pipelit, also to-the cylinder I through a pipe 83 branching from the pipe 83. A similarly operable leak outlet hole l7 and valve i2 is also provided inthe cylinder and adapted. to beheld closedby agspring l3, The piston Bis movedin one direction by the pressure .of the fluid against the action iof a spring it which nioves the; piston in the other direction when the deal; valve 112 is opened Thus, when the inlet valve H is opened the piston is moved downwards to ohang-etransmission ratiosnp towards low ratios (that is,- towards 1:1 or overdrive)- and opening of theleak'valve l2 willallow the piston-tobe-moved by the springin t he 3 other direction to change ratios down towards high ratios.

The valve stems are adapted to be actuated by two solenoids l5, l6, supplied with current by means of two circuits 55, one 53 of which can be connected to ground by part 25, the other 52 of which can be connected to ground through 21, 25 or grounded through the rotary switch 41 having four breaks which can be connected by appropriate control. The first break is controlled by a device comprising a governor for preventing engine speeds from becoming too high; the second break is controlled also by the governor and prevents engine speeds from falling too low; the third break permits the circuit to be made through the second break only 7 when the engine is at or about full throttle; and the fourth break closes below idling output speeds to produce high ratios for restarting.

The governor 20 is of centrifugal type driven by the gear input or engine by gearing 2| and having its centrifugal arms 22 arranged to move an electric earthed contact rod 23 in one direction (to the left in the drawing) with increase of the input speeds. The contact arm is retracted by a spring 24 with decreasing speeds. The rod 23 carries an electric contact 25 which contacts with an electric contact 26 at a predetermined maximum speed, and contacts with an electric contact 21 at a predetermined minimum speed. Another electric contact 29 is carried by a rotary member 30 that is connected by a rod 3| to a lever 32 which is pivoted at 15 and is connected by a rod 33 and lever 34, to the accelerator pedal 36, the lever 34 and pedal 36 being mounted on a pivot 48. The lever 34 is connected to the throttlelever 38 through two lost motion devices 31 and 4| the purposes of which will be described hereinafter. The lever 32 is also connected by a wire 39 to a hand control 40. The rod 33 and the wire 39 both connect to the lever 32 by pin and slot lost motion devices so that each can operate for a distance without the other.

The switch assembly 25 to 29 comprises an insulator disc 36 pivotally mounted and carrying the metal block 29. The wire 52 is connected permanently to block 29, and the member that carries the metal contact parts 26 and 21 is fixed and made of insulating material. The part 25 is made of metal and is movable.

One terminal of each of the solenoids is connected through the usual ignition switch 42 to one terminal of the car battery 43 the other terminal of which is connected to earth at E. The other terminal of the outlet solenoid is connected by wires 52, 54, through an electric conducting brush to a metal ring 46 that is insulated (by a bush from but fixed to a spindle 44 driven by the gear output shaft. A spring 49 is fixed at one end to the ring 45 in electrical connection therewith. The other end of the spring carries an electric contact 50 adapted to touch an electric contact 41 fixed on the shaft 44 so that the contact 41 is permanently earthed. Above a predetermined low speed of the output shaft the contact 50 will be held apart from the contact 41 by centrifugal force but contacts below that speed to earth the outlet solenoid. The same solenoid is. also connected by wire 52 to the contact 29. The other solenoid is connected by wire 53 to the contact 26.

The aforesaid first break is between 25 and 26; the second between 25 and 21; the third is between 21 and 29, this break being completed by the rotary element 30 bringing the contact 23 in- I for a change to lower ratio.

4 to contact with 21 only after the accelerator pedal has moved to about its full throttle position; and the fourth between 41 and 56.

When the contacts 21, 29, are separated the driver can drive slowly, for example when going round corners, without change to higher ratio but when the contacts are in engagement (and provided the accelerator pedal is depressed sumcient-ly to open the throttle fully) the making of the second break 25, 21, will cause a change to higher ratio automatically.

The lost motion device 31 enables the accelerator pedal to be moved beyond its full throttle position so that it can be moved backwards and forwards to a predetermined extent whilst the throttle remains fully open; this action enables the operator to vary tension of the spring 24 thereby varying the input speeds at which the contact 25 will contact with 26 and 21. The operator can thereby vary and select the required range of engine speeds and gear ratios whilst remaining at or about full opening of the throttle.

In order to provide a neutral condition a valve or cook 60 is fitted in a pipeline 63. This valve is connected by elements iii, 35, and spring 52, to the accelerator pedal. The initial movement of the pedal opens this cock to admit oil to the distributor of my said British patent whereby the input shaft is connected to the gear. This occurs while the lost motion 41 is being taken up.

When used with the gear described in my said prior British patent, the operation of the 'device is as follows: The initial movement of the pedal 36 will open the valve 60 to the distributor clutch pipeline 63 and a clutch will be engaged and the vehicle will move off with the highest ratio engaged.

The governor will close the contacts 25,25, when the engine reaches some given maximum speed (e. g. maximum torque speed) and'will close the contacts 25, 21, at a somewhat lower speed. The actual speeds depend on the governor arrangement and the strength of the spring 24 which will vary according to the position of the pedal and the hand control and the'distance apart of the contacts.

Before the accelerator pedal is depressed sufficiently to open the throttle fully the closing of contacts 25, 21, will have no effect on thetransmission ratio because the circuit is only completed when the throttle is opened fully and the third break 21, 29, is closed- A change 'to'higher ratio can, however, be obtained at will by depressing the accelerator pedal to full throttle or beyond and thereby stiffening the spring 24 and simultaneously closing 21, 23, provided such change would not produce engine speed above predetermined maximum. Change to lower ratios can also be made at will when required by opening the throttle and moving the pedal only suffi ciently to close the contacts 25, 26.. If a change has been made to the second ratio, a further up change will be made if engine speed is still high enough to keep 25, 26, closed. Any degree of acceleration can be made in each ratio. in turn (up to a maximum acceleration obtainable from the vehicle) according to the position of the pedal, i. e. according to the throttle opening and the tension of the spring 24, the maximum-tension of which will cause engine speedtoj be a maximum before the governor closes the first break If the vehicle is proceeding in say any ratio a higher ratio will not automatically'result from low engine speed unless the third break 21,1;2 9,;is

mamaosv :closedi Thus, if ltheivehicle is proceeding iin some intermediate gear ratio at part throttle, a change that the openingthrottle does' not increase the enginespeed sufficiently-when a change tohigher ratiois not thenrequired. Movement o'f-the pedal-beyond the position *givingfull throttle willvary the stiffnessof the "spring Ztwhilethethrottle remainsfully opened, so that a change-is alwaysavailable at full throt- *tle' unless this would produce engine speed above the given maximumyfiorexample, maximum horse power;determined by thern'aximum tension ofthespring. Any speed thereioreabove stalling speed can be obtained on any ratio andany degree of throttleopening. U

If the vehicle is moving at say lo miles per hour in top gear (1:1) at a steady speed on level road and with the throttleipartly open, there would be a tendency to change to higher ratio with known automatic. controls because'ithc ac- 2 tion is speed responsive whereas-change toihigher ratio might frequently be vrequired without change ofispeed, for examplewwhen one; gradient.-

Even if a change is not made by such known controls on a small throttle opening, it will prob ably occur on further movement of the throttle. This changing is not required and most undesirable and from a purely theoretical point of view is only required on full throttle and in practice is very often not then required as the driver desires to proceed quietly and without increase in engine speed. Similar disadvantages result at the other end of the performance range and in keeping this defect out as much as possible, changes are made too late when gradient or acceleration performance is required.

In the apparatus of the present invention,

neither of these disadvantages result for movement slightly past full throttle will give a ratio change only when required and only when at about full throttle and, any movement from full throttle to less than full throttle will not give the change to higher ratio.

It should be appreciated that maximum torque speed may occur at say 25 miles per hour in 1:1 ratio with an average British car and a control which produces ratio changes below this speed on less than about full throttle is undesirable. In some cases, up to 50% of the running of a car may normally be done under the very conditions which would be unobtainable with certain automatic controls.

The accelerator pedal can be used for engaging a clutch on starting or when freewheeling. If desired, a dashpot may dela the clutch engagement so that engine speed may first increase or the moment of engagement may depend on the rate at which the pedal is depressed. The pedal can also be used if desired for disengaging the clutch at any required moment during driving to provide a freewheeling action.

With a stepped gear the governor and asso ciated contacts may be so arranged that the speed difierence between contact for up and contact for down change is slightly greater than that caused by Change from one ratio to the next.

The spring 2s can be arranged to be varied in strength over the whole or anypart of the pedal traveler can be variedshould it be desired by the independent control member 45).

This member could also be usedior normal con ditions. lhere maybe two independent springs varied bythe two' controls 35, it, but it is desirable that the additional control tll be: used only forthe unusual conditions which occur very infrequently or nct at all, or it-may. be set in a position giving thedesired mlnimum speed.

For using the engine as a bralre, the control ll) i varies the tension. of the spring 2 whilst the throttle may not be iullyopen and causes also :the closing of the third break sothat changeato higher ratio can be obtained; i l

A gearmay be controlledbyia piston or cylinder 6, l, the valves ii, iii of which are inanuallyoperated bybuttons, foot pedals, or a lever. If desired meansrnay be provided for-varying and fixing at will the highest ratio to which: the gear :would fall for starting as itmayoftenbe unnecessary always to go down toxthepiirstratio on stopping. 1 For example a. hand lever may be set to holda rod engaginga pin onthe rash 5 to limit the movement of the rack. Alternatively a Bowolen wire control may be provided having a certain amount "of movement todetermine the movement of therack. l

i I claim:

1. Change speed control. system iorwpower plants including an engine with meanssfor manually operating the throttle thereof, coupled to a variable speed transmissiongear having an input and an output shaft, comprising: means for varying the velocity ratio of said transmission, means for actuating said ratio varying means to increase said velocity ratio, means for actuating said ratio varying means to decrease said velocity ratio, means responsive within a certain range of input shaft speed to actuate either of said ratio increasing and decreasing means, means operable by said manual means to vary said speed range at which said responsive means will function, means operable by travel of said manual throttle operating means beyond a predetermined throttle opening to condition said actuating means for increasing said velocity ratio, and means responsive to a fall of said output shaft speed below a predetermined minimum to actuate said ratio increasing means.

2. Change speed control system for power plants including an engine with means for manually operating the throttle thereof, coupled to a variable speed transmission gear having an input and an output shaft, comprising: means for varying the velocity ratio of said transmission, means for actuating said ratio varying means to increase said velocity ratio, means for actuating said ratio varying means to decrease said velocity ratio, means responsive'within a certain range of input shaft speed to actuate either of said ratio increasing and decreasing means, means operable by said manual means to vary said speed range at which said responsive means will function, means operable by travel of said manual throttle operating means beyond a predetermined throttle opening to condition said actuating means for increasing said velocity ratio, means responsive to a fall of said output shaft speed below a predetermined minimum to actuate said ratio increasing means, and a lost motion device between the engine throttle and said manual means whereby said means can be moved beyond full throttle position.

3. Change speed control system for power plants including an engine with means for manually operating the throttle thereof, coupled to a variable speed transmission gear having an input and an output shaft, comprising: pressure fluid actuated means for varying the velocity ratio of said transmission, valve means controlling said pressure fluid actuated means to increase said velocity ratio, other valve means controlling said pressure fluid actuated means to decrease said velocity ratio, means responsive within a certain range of input shaft speed to actuate either of said valve means, means operable by said manually operated means to vary said speed range at which said responsive means will function, means operable by travel of said manual throttle operating means beyond a predetermined throttle opening to condition said first-mentioned valve means for increasing said velocity ratio, and means responsive to a fall of said output shaft speed below a predetermined minimum 20 to actuate said first-mentioned valve means.

4. A system according to claim 3, wherein said valves are controlled respectively by electric solenoids to which current is supplied by circuits having four breaks, said system also comprising means for closing the first break when engine speed exceeds an upper limit, means for closing the second break when engine speed falls below a lower limit, means for closing the third break through said closed second break only when the engine throttle is substantially fully open, and

means for closing said fourth break belowtidling speed.

5. A system according to claim 3, wherein said valves are controlled respectively by electric solenoids to which current is supplied by circuits REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Lang et a1. June 27, 1944 

